1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to oral dental appliances, and more particularly, to a therapeutic mouthpiece generally worn during sleep for the prevention and alleviation of sleep disorders such as snoring, clenching, bruxing, and to protect dental work. The mouthpiece spaces the occlusal surfaces of a wearer's maxillary and mandibular teeth and prevents posterior movement of the lower jaw while allowing for limited vertical and lateral movement to adjust to accommodate a variety of wearers.
2) Description of Related Art
It is known in the prior art that an oral appliance which opens the jaws and controls the position of the mandible can help reduce incidences of snoring, sleep apnea, and other breathing problems associated with sleep. While the prior art is replete with such devices, many are uncomfortable due to their rigid construction, which often leads to joint pain in the jaws. Some of the devices represented in the prior art are adjustable to move the jaw forward or back, or adjust the spacing between the jaws, but are still generally rigid devices that set defined positions. Further, these devices are generally not customizable by the user and require professional adjustment to fit the appliance to the user's needs. Additionally, such adjustments typically only modify the appliance to a new fixed position and do not allow for lateral, vertical, and horizontal movement of the jaws to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.
There is no existing appliance that is freely adjustable to accommodate the jaw positions of a variety of users that will allow for vertical and lateral movement, while limiting posterior movement of the mandible. For most appliances, adjustments are made by either soldering on spacers or grinding away plastic from the appliance. Other devices have rigidly arranged blocks or ridges that cooperate to position and prevent movement of the jaws. Such devices have a limited ability to accommodate different user jaw positions due to the predefined relationship of the ridges. Other more adjustable appliances simply advance and space the lower jaw through set incremental steps. Such devices rigidly interlock the maxillary and mandibular portions of the appliance together, preventing any vertical or lateral movement of the jaw, which can be unnecessarily painful to most users. Additionally, many of these devices do not provide an opening at the front of the mouth through which the tongue may extend to prevent airway constriction that causes many of the sleep breathing disorders.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic mouthpiece which is adaptable to a wide variety of users without professional adjustment to properly fit the appliance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic mouthpiece which limits both posterior and anterior movement of the mandible to prevent and alleviate sleep disorders.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic mouthpiece in which the maxillary and mandibular portions are not rigidly connected and allows for vertical and lateral movement of the jaws to prevent muscle spasms and joint pain.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic mouthpiece that produces an unobstructed opening at the front of the mouth through which the tongue is free to extend.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic mouthpiece which spaces the occlusal surfaces of a wearer's maxillary and mandibular teeth.